What side of the line do you fall on?
When you earn your pro card, suddenly everyone has their eyes on you. What kind of competitor are you going to be? Will you soak in the lime light and act self important; or will you let your actions speak louder than words. Will the big wins make you cocky or confident?
In recent light of the Phil and Kai rivalry and their not-to-subtle confrontations with one another over Olympia weekend, we decided to look into the difference between having an ego and carrying yourself with competitive confidence. Where is the line drawn? What is considered going too far?
Like any other sport, bodybuilding stands with competitive spirit as its legs. It’s only natural to want to defeat your opponent. If that means butting heads a bit with your fellow athletes then so be it. Emotions run high during year end competitions and for the most part this benefits the fans. We love to see drama. We love to see action. But there is most definitely a line. A line that, if crossed, suddenly turns a competitor from being powerful and confident into someone smug and condescending.
Kai Greene signed his competitor card last year as “Mr. Olympia.” That was a bold but respectable move. It told us that he was in it to win it and would not accept any other outcome. But when he did it again this year after losing last time – it comes off a little bitter. It doesn’t help that he finished second again this year as well. Sometimes it’s best to know when to hold back.
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Phil, on the other hand, is a champion. He has been a champion four years in a row now. With that kind of title comes an inflated confidence. He has proof that he is the best and so rightfully believes to be the best. It’s easy for that sort of confidence to be seen as egotistical. No one likes a smug winner. Phil straddles that line right on the edge. He’s never aggressive like Kai but he doesn’t need to be. He has nothing to prove.
But does he silently instigate? With his smirk. With his silent grin. With the way he ever so subtly inches closer to Kai on the stage during posing. Fans seem to see things from two different perspectives. Is he instigating Kai? Or is Kai getting too overprotective?
Kai and Phil get caught up in a whirlwind trash talk and outspoken comments every year. This leaves the fans in the end to divide and make their own opinion as to who is being too cocky and who is being the humble competitor. But perhaps the real confident competitors are the rest of the athletes not partaking in the “Phil and Kai Show.”
During the Olympia press conference there were over a dozen other athletes sitting up on the stage. They are all in it to win the Sandow trophy. They care just as much. They worked just as hard. But we don’t see them spitting words at one another. They don’t feel the need to defend themselves or call each other out. They are there to compete.
Perhaps this is true confidence. The silent warrior who is focused on the task at hand. There is nothing to be misunderstood or misconceived. They simply flex on stage and know in their hearts that they are in it 100% to win. So confident that they don’t need to say a word.
In the end you can’t help but sympathize with Kai and Phil. They are both trapped in their respective roles. A reigning champion will always be villianized – we love to see the mighty fall. And an underdog will always be either celebrated or spat on until he proves his worth.
When the world is watching, every single little word is picked apart. But it’s hard to stay silent when the competition is this close. Especially when there’s a burning passion building up to one moment, one competition, one possible victory. So let’s cut them all some slack because at the end of the day – it’s been one hell of a wild ride.
What do you guys think? Are we being too easy on Kai and Phil? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to hit us up on Facebook and Twitter too! Stay pumped.
